WASTE collection in Basingstoke could be affected in the coming days as several staff have gone on self-isolation due to Covid-19, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) has warned.

The council and its contractor Serco currently have two additional bubble crews in place to cover Covid-related absences, but the authorities fear services could be disrupted if more employees are isolated in the coming days.

BDBC said: “We are currently experiencing high levels of waste collection staff self-isolating due to Covid-19.

“Because of the work we and our contractor Serco undertook towards the end of the last year to prepare for a second spike, we have two additional bubble crews in place to cover COVID-related absences. These crews will assist us in continuing to deliver all of our waste and recycling services during this challenging time.

“If numbers increase further we want to prepare residents for the possibility that they could face disruptions to services, such as a delay in collections.”

BDBC said it is testing the bin crews quickly to enable them to return to work as soon as possible. But there is a possibility that garden waste or bulky waste collection could be suspended.

“As always our priority is to protect the safety of our key worker staff and the residents we serve alongside protecting the core waste, recycling and clinical waste services.

“We are working hard to ensure our bin crews are tested quickly to enable them to return to work if their results are negative. If we need to suspend non-essential services such as garden waste or bulky waste collections we will post this information via our website and social media in the first instance.”

“In the meantime we thank residents for their understanding and patience during this difficult period and ask them to help keep our crews and themselves safe by wiping down bin handles when putting out their bins and bringing them back in again.”